French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has weathered a political storm in Paris, surviving two high-stakes votes of no-confidence in the National Assembly on October 16, 2025. The outcome spares President Emmanuel Macron’s government from immediate collapse and delays the specter of snap parliamentary elections, but the political truce comes at a steep cost and leaves France’s government as fragile as ever.
According to Bloomberg, Lecornu’s second attempt at forming a government succeeded after the first ended in farce, signaling just how turbulent French politics have become. The immediate risk of snap parliamentary elections has receded for now, but the momentum behind reining in France’s public finances has slowed considerably. The uneasy peace, as Bloomberg notes, carries a price tag of 2.2 billion euros—a hefty sum in a country already grappling with ballooning deficits.
Thursday’s drama in the 577-seat National Assembly saw Lecornu, a close ally of President Macron, face off against no-confidence motions from both ends of the political spectrum. The first, filed by the hard-left France Unbowed party, garnered 271 votes—just 18 short of the 289 needed to topple the government, AP reports. The second, led by Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally, received only 144 votes, backed mostly by her party and a few allies.
For a moment, it seemed the government could fall. But Lecornu managed to keep enough lawmakers on his side, in part by dangling the possibility of suspending one of Macron’s most controversial reforms: the gradual increase of France’s retirement age from 62 to 64. This pension overhaul, enacted in 2023, has been deeply unpopular and sparked widespread protests. Lecornu’s offer to consider rolling it back persuaded the opposition Socialist Party to withhold support for the no-confidence efforts—at least for now. Only seven Socialists broke ranks to back the France Unbowed motion, a move that proved pivotal.
The conservative Republicans, holding 50 seats, also refrained from backing Lecornu’s removal, despite a fiery appeal from Éric Ciotti, a former party leader who has since aligned with Le Pen’s far right. Ciotti didn’t mince words, urging his colleagues, “Don’t compromise yourselves by supporting this government. Don’t swallow this snake, this boa (constrictor), this pink alligator. No voter on the right will forgive you.” In the closest vote, just one Republican lawmaker supported Lecornu’s removal, but for the second motion—seen as having little chance of success—three Republicans broke ranks, hinting that conservative patience may soon run thin.
Despite surviving the day, Lecornu’s position remains precarious. As AP points out, his ability to hold the government together hinges on continued cooperation from both the Socialists and the Republicans. Should either party decide to switch sides in future no-confidence votes—especially if their demands in upcoming budget negotiations aren’t met—the government could quickly unravel.
One critical concession Lecornu made was his promise not to invoke a special constitutional power that would allow him to push the budget through Parliament without a vote. This tool, known as Article 49.3, was used by Macron’s government to force through the 2023 pension reform, bypassing lawmakers and igniting public outrage. By forswearing its use, Lecornu signaled a willingness to engage in consensus-building—though whether that will be enough to shepherd a 2026 budget through a deeply divided Parliament remains to be seen.
Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly and a Macron loyalist, struck a cautiously hopeful tone after the votes. “I am sure that there’s a path,” she said, expressing optimism that consensus on the budget could be reached despite the chamber’s bitter divisions.
The backdrop to this political drama is a National Assembly still reeling from the snap elections of June 2024. Those elections, called by Macron after a previous government crisis, produced no outright winner and left the chamber in a state of deadlock. Since then, prime ministers have come and gone with dizzying speed, and the government has struggled to push through major reforms. The looming 2027 presidential race only adds to the tension, as parties jostle for position and seek to score points with voters.
In a passionate address to lawmakers before the votes, Lecornu implored them to put the nation’s interests above political gamesmanship. “History, in any case, will judge these political maneuvers very harshly, where the platform of the National Assembly has essentially been confused with an advertising platform,” he said. “The presidential election will come. You will have the opportunity to campaign. For now, do not hold the nation’s budget and the Social Security budget hostage.”
But the challenges ahead are daunting. France’s state deficit and debt are at worrying levels, and building consensus in Parliament for the tax hikes, spending cuts, and other measures needed to restore fiscal order promises to be an uphill battle. The fragile coalition that allowed Lecornu to survive this week’s votes could easily fracture as budget negotiations heat up.
Political analysts warn that the government’s reprieve may be short-lived. The suspension of the pension reform, while a savvy tactical move, may only buy time. If the Socialists or Republicans feel their interests aren’t being served in the upcoming budget process, they could quickly turn against Lecornu. The far left and far right remain implacably opposed to the government, and the center holds only as long as compromise is possible.
For now, the government has avoided immediate disaster. But the cost—both political and financial—is high. The 2.2 billion euros spent to secure this truce is a stark reminder of the price of instability. France’s political system, with its fragmented Parliament and looming presidential contest, remains on a knife’s edge, and the path forward is anything but clear.
As the dust settles in Paris, one thing is certain: the next few months will be crucial for Lecornu, Macron, and the future of French politics. Whether they can navigate the treacherous waters of budget negotiations and keep the fragile coalition intact will determine not just their own fate, but the direction of France itself.
